All posts tagged car repair

When a car breaks down after the warranty expires, owners have more power than ever before to negotiate with car dealers and car makers to fix the problems.

Just as the advent of social media has handed new power to retail shoppers, hotel guests and other consumers, disgruntled car owners suffering similar problems can more easily combine efforts to pressure auto makers to bend on repair costs.

Blogs and government websites make news of widespread maintenance issues easier to find.

SCITUATE, Mass.—Car mechanics still reach for a wrench, but these days they also need to be handy with a computer mouse.

Today’s cars, which use sophisticated technology for everything from the brakes to the steering wheel, are causing a schism among auto-repair facilities. Now, Massachusetts could be the first state to require vehicle makers to sell to independent mechanics and car owners the same diagnostic and repair information that their franchised car dealerships get.

That check engine light you’re ignoring could be warning you that your bank account is about to take a hit, especially if you’re driving in the wide open West.

Repairs associated with a check engine light warning cost motorists in Wyoming an average of $389.18, the highest of any state surveyed by CarMD, a company that follows repair cost trends and sells vehicle repair related services and diagnostic devices. The cheapest state to get repairs related to the check engine light: Indiana at $283.95.

If you’re one of the growing number of American motorists driving a car that’s no longer covered by a factory warranty, you’ve probably wondered how much repair and maintenance work you can do on your own to avoid expensive trips to a mechanic.

People often ask which vehicles they should avoid because they are unreliable, expensive to repair or have parts that are hard to find. But there is another category of vehicles of which you may want to steer clear: cars that mechanics can’t stand.

Cars make repair technicians cringe for a range of reasons. Some break down so often that the shop becomes their second home. Others need repairs that are complicated, difficult and time-consuming.

Sometimes, though, experienced mechanics long for big, costly jobs because they offer a challenge and generate profit. Such veterans may roll their eyes when a reliable car rolls in needing little more than an oil change.